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PUBLICATION 348-826 Kids Kitchen: What Is Fat? Stephanie K. Goodwin, R.D., Graduate Assistant, Family Nutrition Program Fat is a necessary part of a healthy diet. It is found in some foods like nuts, oils, butter, and meats like beef. Fat is not a bad food. Instead of avoiding fat, you should try to include a little bit of fat at each meal. Dietary fat provides the most calories compared to protein foods and carbohydrate foods. You, as a kid, especially need a certain amount of fat in your diet so that your brain and nervous system develop correctly. Fat also helps protect your organs and helps your body absorb essential vitamins! Are all fats created equal? No. There are two main types of fat, saturated and unsaturated. LIMIT SATURATED FAT. This type of fat is found mostly in animal products: EAT MORE UNSATURATED FAT. This type of fat is found mostly in plant products and fish: avocado red meat (hamburger, hot dog, bacon, sausage, bologna) olive oil and olives canola oil butter safflower oil chicken fingers or other fried chicken peanut butter and peanut oil ice cream nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, peanuts) baked goods (cookies, pastries, cake) high-fat dairy products (full-fat cheese, ice cream, whole milk, 2% milk, sour cream) pumpkin or sunflower seeds baked fish (tuna, salmon, trout, mackerel) ranch dressing soft tub margarine chocolate or candy bars homemade salad dressing (olive oil and vinegar) french fries cream sauces sesame seeds gravy made with meat drippings mayonnaise Foods from the saturated fat group are not your best choice, but they are okay to eat every now and then. tofu and other soybean products Unsaturated fat is considered a healthy fat and you should eat it more often than saturated fat. www.ext.vt.edu Produced by Communications and Marketing, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2010 Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Alan L. Grant, Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Interim Director, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg; Wondi Mersie, Interim Administrator, 1890 Extension Program, Virginia State, Petersburg. Do I eat healthy fats? Write down what you ate at breakfast, lunch, and dinner and for snacks. For each meal, did you eat more unsaturated or saturated fats? Color in the space provided either green (unsaturated fats) or red (saturated fats). Green foods = unsaturated fats Red foods = saturated fats When you are finished, add up all of your red spaces and your green spaces. At the bottom of the page, color in your traffic light with whatever color you had more of. Breakfast Red or Green Lunch Red or Green Dinner Red or Green Snacks Red or Green If your traffic light is red, then find where you could make healthier choices during the day to change the color. If your traffic light is green, then you have chosen healthy fats and are ready to GO!! Source: Kids Health for Kids: Learning about Fat, www.kidshealth.org/kid/nutrition/food/fat.html Reviewed by Kathy Hosig, Ph.D., associate professor, Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise. This publication was partially funded by USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides nutrition assistance to people with low incomes. It can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. To find out more, contact your local county or city Department of Social Services (phone listed under city/county government). For help finding a local number, call toll-free: 1-800-552-3431 (M-F 8:15-5:00, except holidays). By calling your local DSS office, you can get other useful information about services. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religious creed, age, disability, or political beliefs. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call, toll free, (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. 2 This publication was partially funded by the Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program, USDA, CSREES.